Mail-bag catcher.



J. WADE.

MAIL BAG GATCHER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1912.

1,059,792. Patented Apr. 22, 1913;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. WADE.

MAIL BAG GATCHER.

APPLICATION FILED 110130, 1912.

Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

2 S HEETS-SHEET 2.

' ammm c7196 mdfi tins J OE WADE, OF RUSSELLVILLE, ARKANSAS.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER.

osaaoa Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

Application filed November 30, 1912. Serial No. 734,355.

17 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OE WADE, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Russellville, in the county of Pope andState of Arkansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-BagCatchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail bag catchers; and it has for its objectthe provision of apparatus of this character which may be operativelyconnected in the door-opening of a car and arranged for manualadjustment therein whereby it may be quickly eX- tended to a collectingposition or swung into the car as the occasion may demand.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mail bag catcher whichwill include a rotatably adjustable supporting shaft, a collecting armand means for adjusting the collecting arm inparallel relation with thesupporting shaft so that the efiective bag grasping and collectingportion thereof may be accurately adjusted with relation to the bagdelivering crane.

Another object of the invention is to provide a single actuating meanswhich may be operated manually to effect rotary adjustments ofthesupporting shaft and parallel adjustments of the collecting arm.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means forpositively holding the collecting arm and the supporting shaft inoperative collecting position.

Another object of the invention is the provision of mail bag catchingapparatus which will include a collecting arm having relativelyyieldable bag embracing and clamping jaws embodying therein a tripmechanism for normally holding the jaws extended relatively.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means whereby thetripping mechanism of the collecting jaws will be disposed in theeffective path of the bag so as to be operated thereby on contacttherewith andinsure an immediate adjustment of the jaws to bag clampingand retaining positions.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, aswill be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of a car,showing the application of the catcher thereto; Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection through the car, showing the collecting arm in an extendedposition beyond the door opening; Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig.2; Fig. at is a section on line 44- of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a section online 55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a top plan View of the collecting arms,showing the jaws thereof in collecting position, portions of the awsbeing shown in section; and Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, showingthe jaws in opened position.

The catching apparatus is shown to include bearings 1 and 2, which aredisposed in line with each other and secured to the side bars A of thedoor-opening B of the car C herein conventionally shown. A supportingshaft 1 has its ends mounted in bearings '1 and 2, whereby the shaft isfree for rotation to permit the collecting arm of the apparatus to beadjusted to operative and inoperative position, as the occasion maydemand.

A collecting arm 5 is disposed in parallel relation with the supportingshaft 4: and as illustrated said arm is pivotally connected at 6 with alink 7, the latter having pivotal connection at 8 with the shaft 4.Adjacent to the opposite end, the collecting arm 5 is pivotallyconnected as at 10 with a lever 13. The latter having pivotal connectionat 14 with said shaft 4. The lever 13 is extended inwardly beyond thesupporting shaft 4, where it is provided with a dog 16, which may beengaged yieldingly under the influence of the spring 17 with a racksegment 18, the latter being secured to the shaft 4 and disposed inconcentric relation with the pivot 14: of the lever. From thisconnection it is evident that the lever 13 can be rocked on the shaft 4and positioned at the desired point upon the rack segment 18 to causethe dog 16 to engage with the rack and thereby retain the requiredadjustment of the collecting arm. Adjustment of the arm 5 is desirablein that the elfective bag collecting portion thereof may be adjustedwith relation to the mail crane, not shown, and thereby made toeffectually grasp the bag and withdraw the same from the crane as isevident.

In order that the shaft l may be held against rotation and therebyrelieve the operator of the trouble of holding the collecting arm 5 inan operative collecting position, I provide the bearing 2 with a concentric rack 19 with which a locking dog 20 of the shaft 4 may beengaged, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The collecting end of thearm 5 supports a fixed jaw 2d and a pivoted jaw 25,tlie latter tendingto move normally toward the jaw 24: under the influence of a closingspring 26. The fixed jaw is connected with a pivoted trip 27, which isadapted for movements in a slot 28 in the movable jaw and to engage witha keeper 29 of said movable jaw whereby to hold the latter against theaction of the spring 26. A handle 30 of the trip 27 may be engaged bythe hand, and adjusted so as to move the trip into operative positionwith the keeper. The trip extends across the bag collecting spacebetween the companion jaws 24 and 25 where it is disposed directly inthe path of the bag so as to be actuated thereby and released or permitboth of the jaws to move relatively into proper grip ping contact withthe bag.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the inventionwill be readily understood without requiring a more extendedexplanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A mail bagcatcher comprising a revolubly mounted shaft, means for supporting theshaft in the door opening of a car, means for holding the shaft againstrotation, a rocking lever mounted on the shaft, a link mounted forrocking movement upon the shaft and movable parallel with the lever, anda collecting arm operatively connecting the link with the lever.

2. A mail bag catcher comprising a revolubly mounted shaft, means forsupporting the shaft in the door opening of a-car, means for holding theshaft against rotation, a rocking lever mounted on the shaft, a linkmounted for rocking movement upon the shaft and movable parallel withthe lever, a collecting arm operatively connecting the link with thelever and including a fixed jaw and a movable jaw, a spring open atingagainst the movable jaw for moving the same in the direction of thefixed jaw, a trip carried by the fixed jaw and extending across thespacebetween both jaws when the device is-set to an operative bagreceiving position, and means on the movable jaw for engaging the tripwhereby to normally hold the movable jaw in an operative bag collectingposition with relation to the fixed jaw.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' JOE l/VADE. Witnesses W. H. TEAL, VEITER HOLT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

